543-553 Richmond Street West Seeking Site Plan Approval

Plans are now being finalized for a condominium development at 543 through 553 Richmond Street West in Toronto's King West neighbourhood, set to replace a two-storey office building and a commercial parking lot at the southwest corner of Richmond and Portland streets. The project was first submitted to the City near the end of 2014, appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) this past spring following the lack of response from the City in time, and subsequently approved at a slightly reduced scale.

Subject site (right), image retrieved from Google Street View

We last discussed the Quadrangle-designed project for Pemberton shortly after it was approved at the OMB, covering revisions to the plan since its initial proposal. At that time, only images of the initial plan were available. In the months since, the project has advanced with an application for Site Plan Approval (SPA), with new documents painting a clearer picture of how the project will appear.

Aerial view from Richmond Street West looking southwest, image retrieved from submission to City of Toronto

The newest iteration submitted for the SPA would rise 15 storeys to a 49.6-metre height, down from the 54.7 metre height approved by the OMB earlier this year. Inside, the building would house a total of 476 condominium suites, coming in a mix of 16 bachelor units (at an average size of 37 m²), 266 one-bedroom units (at an average size of 48 m²), 146 two-bedroom units (at an average size of 66 m²), and 48 three-bedroom units (at an average size of 85 m².)

The project’s blocky massing and height in the 50-metre range follows the standard set by other nearby developments, including the under-construction The Harlowe to the west on Richmond Street, and the recently completed oneeleven and Musée developments to the south on Adelaide Street West. The massing and materiality of 543-553 Richmond West share a number of features in common with the nearby Musee development, notably the use of dense base volumes and contrasting masonry finishes. A materials legend included in the project's architectural plans outlines a combination of window wall and curtainwall systems, both with vision glass and spandrel glass panels, as well as brick with off-white smooth and ironspot 'velour' finishes, and slate grey aluminum plate panels.

Aerial view from Portland Street looking northwest, image retrieved from submission to City of Toronto

The introduction of 1,713 m² of retail space along the bulk of the Portland Street building frontage as well as on a portion of the Richmond Street frontage will help to animate the public realm at the base of the building. In addition to this improved retail presence, the project would include a 551 m² public park along the site's Portland frontage, which would be dedicated to the City as part of the project's public benefits.

Residents of the development would be served by 1,987 m² of indoor and outdoor amenity spaces, as well as a two-level underground parking garage containing 213 spaces, with 175 dedicated to residents of the building, and the remaining 38 for residential visitors.

Additional information and images can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.